'Delacroix
and the Rise of Modern Art', the first major presentation of Delacroix’s art in
Britain for more than 50 years, surveys his dynamic career and then moves
beyond it, to assess for the first time the influence he exerted for five
decades following his death until the early years of the 20th century.

Few
artists have had the same impact and lasting influence as Eugène Delacroix. He
was the most famous and controversial French painter of the first half of the
19th century and one of the first modern masters. Each new work he exhibited
was scrutinised by enthralled contemporaries including Courbet, Chassériau, and
the poet and critic Charles Baudelaire. Following Delacroix’s death in 1863,
generations of artists continually turned to him to find new directions for
their art. Although idolised as a pioneer by artists such as Manet,Cézanne,
Renoir, Van Gogh, and Matisse – unlike theirs, his name is not a household one
today.

This
exhibition will give visitors the opportunity to (re)discover this
revolutionary artist. It will include over 60 works borrowed from 30 major
public and private collections around the world, including the Musée du Louvre,
Musée d’Orsay and the Petit Palais (Paris), the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los
Angeles), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the National Gallery of
Art (Washington), and the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam).

More
than a third of the exhibition comprises a survey of works by Delacroix
himself. Highlights include such masterpieces as his 'Self Portrait' of about
1837 (Musée du Louvre, Paris); 'The Convulsionists of Tangiers' of 1838
(Minneapolis Institute of Art); 'The Death of Sardanapalus', 1846 (Philadelphia
Museum of Art); 'Bathers' of 1854 (Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford,
Connecticut); and the ferocious 'Lion Hunt' of 1861 (Art Institute of Chicago).

Half
the exhibition comprises works by artists of later generations who also fell
under the impact of Delacroix’s achievement. Chassériau’s art in particular
would not have been possible without the example of the older master. Among the
masterpieces are Bazille’s rarely seen 'La Toilette' (Musée Fabre,
Montpellier), Van Gogh’s 'Pietà' (after Delacroix) (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam), 'Olive Trees'
(Minneapolis Institute of Art), Cézanne’s 'Battle of Love' (National Gallery of
Art, Washington), 'Apotheosis of Delacroix' (Musée d’Orsay, Paris), and
Matisse’s Study for ‘Luxe, calme et volupté’ (Museum of Modern Art, New York).
The exhibition ends with Kandinsky’s 'Study for Improvisation V' of 1910
(Minneapolis Institute of Art), arguing for a direct line of descent extending
from the Romantic master to the origins of abstraction.

The
complex and rebellious artist whom Baudelaire called ‘a poet in painting’ was
the very model of the bohemian, driven by personal vision and unafraid of
official opposition. Delacroix is credited with liberating colour and technique
from traditional rules and practices, paving the way for new styles of
painting. His use of vigorous and expressive brushstrokes, his study of the
optical effect of colour, his daring compositions and exotic subjects inspired
the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists, Symbolists, and Fauves to push the
boundaries of their own creativity. All these admirers saw in Delacroix’s
trailblazing vibrancy of colour and vivid portrayal of human emotions the
impetus to break the rules and to dare to innovate and experiment with their
own work.

“Delacroix
was passionately in love with passion, but coldly determined to express passion
as clearly as possible" (Baudelaire). One entry in the artist’s diary
reads, “I dislike reasonable painting.”

Delacroix
caused a sensation on the art scene with his first submission to the Paris
Salon in 1822, the monumental 'Barque of Dante' (Musée du Louvre, Paris). It
was largely derided, yet was later purchased by the French State. This pattern
of widespread condemnation, countered by a vigorous, enlightened support, would
continue throughout Delacroix’s life. The painting was later copied by Manet
and his version will be seen in the show, as will Renoir’s copy of Delacroix’s
'Jewish Wedding in Morocco' (Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts). Many young
artists began their education by emulating Delacroix.

Delacroix
travelled to England in 1825 where he visited the studios of Thomas Lawrence
and Richard Parkes Bonington. The colour and handling of English painting
influenced his only full-length portrait, the elegant portrait of 'Louis-Auguste
Schwiter' of 1826–30 (National Gallery, London). He also started exploring
subjects of violence and sensuality, which would prove to be recurrent in his
work. His 1827 'The Death of Sardanapalus', even more controversial than the
'Barque of Dante' when first shown at the Salon, is represented here by the
1846 replica (on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art), which Delacroix
painted for himself when he finally managed to sell the original, large-scale
work. It demonstrates how Delacroix effectively combined gruesome fantasy,
sensuous beauty, exotic colours, and innovative composition to make a painting
both pleasing and shocking.

In
1832 Delacroix travelled to Morocco, and that visit would provide subject
matter for many of his future paintings, which would have a profound impact on
the work of Renoir, Gauguin, and Matisse. From 1833 Delacroix received numerous
commissions to decorate public buildings in Paris, including the Galerie
d’Apollon of the Louvre and the Chapelle des Saints-Anges at St Sulpice. The
latter is his spiritual testament and was understood by contemporaries to mark
a stunning revival of creativity in Delacroix’s final years.

Christopher
Riopelle, National Gallery Curator of Post-1800 Paintings said: “The
opportunity to reintroduce a stunningly original and audacious artist to the
British public after far too long makes this an exciting exhibition. But to
also show Delacroix as a leader among his contemporaries and a spur to
creativity among artists for 50 years after his death – up to the time of
Matisse and Kandinsky – reaffirms his central role in the development of modern
art.”

Gabriele
Finaldi, National Gallery Director said: “Delacroix is one of the defining
painters of the 19th century; trailblazing, passionate, totally committed to
his art, and immensely influential. The exhibition explores his achievement and
his impact on painters as varied as Van Gogh and Kandinsky.”

ORGANISATION

The
exhibition is organised by the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the National
Gallery, London. Exhibition curators: Christopher Riopelle, Curator of
Post-1800 Paintings at the National Gallery, London; Patrick Noon, Patrick and
Aimee Butler Chair of Paintings at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.